Geordie fans have already snapped up 4,500 tickets and will swell Wigan’s away section in the North Stand.

The encounter could see Newcastle solidify their place in the top four and take a step closer to the Champions League in a game that has now turned into a hot ticket.

However, United – who have been inundated with additional requests – have had a plea for more seats turned down by the Latics.

Pardew told the Chronicle: “Wigan’s going to be massive for us. I don’t know how many tickets we’ve sold, but I hope we get some more tickets and fill the place up.

“They could probably do with the money.”

Wigan’s DW Stadium can hold just over 25,000 fans, but the Latics have an average gate of around 18,000 – meaning there could be thousands of empty seats on Saturday.

Wigan’s highest attendance was for the recent game with West Brom, but they failed to even get close to that for big games with Manchester City and Manchester United – with crowds of 16,026 and 18,115 – when both matches were boosted by healthy away followings.

Pardew is confident the Magpies could double their allocation on Saturday if they get the chance.

He said: “It would be nice to see 8-9,000 Geordies somehow get in there, because it would feel like a home game.”

Wigan have been known to grant their visitors extra tickets in the past by housing fans in the Boston Stand.

Derby clashes in their third-tier days resulted in Wigan handing Preston North End 8,000 seats, while Sunderland were also given the same amount in 2005 in the Championship.

Toon fans will be unable to purchase tickets in the home end unless they have previous booking history at the DW Stadium.